Bioflim flow cells (biofilm culturing devices) have been used to grow surface-attached microbial communities (biofilms) under pre-specified, complex flow conditions including both spatial and temporal variability in influent flows, nutrient levels, substrates, etc. as a result of workers recognizing that microbial communities on interfaces, termed biofilms, are extremely important in a wide variety of environmental, engineered, and biomedical uses.
Biofilms are responsible for more than half of microbial infections, and these infections are highly problematic because cells in bioflims are typically more than 500 times resistant to antimicrobial therapy than planktonic cells. Moreover, bioflims play a significant role in global biogeochemical cycling and in bioreactor systems by changing properties of interfaces, consuming nutrients, degrading hazardous organic compounds, and immobilizing metals.
Normally, in-line filters or flow breaks are used to prevent growth of bacteria upstream of laboratory culturing devices, such as flow cells. However, these sorts of in-line devices are prone to clogging because of either microbial colonization or deposition of material from the influent growth medium. This normally restricts the duration of laboratory experiments involving biofilms to a few days, or a week at most. Such filters or in-line controls have been found to adversely affected flow conditions, especially when used in connection with planar (two-dimensional) flow cells.